


Rocky Road

by Selah



Series: Matteiru Kara [5]
Category: Danger Gang, Jrock, NCIS, Overwatch (Video Game), Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 07:32:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17442614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selah/pseuds/Selah
Summary: Meeting her primary soulmate should have been a good thing. So of course for Miko it was anything but.





	Rocky Road

**Author's Note:**

> This started as another Ladies Bingo fill but things went a bit sideways and everyone agreed to split this off into its own thing, so there we are.

Staring up at the pale sky, Miko sighed. She never should have told Abby about her partial soulmate. Now she was going to have to explain that the universe had shifted, that she could barely see blue at all anymore. Maybe she just wouldn't say anything? But that felt dishonest and anyway, Miko knew herself to be a terrible liar.

“Ah! Look out!”

Miko sat up just in time to get hit in the chest by a galloping fluffy pup, falling backward with a huff. Of course the dog, unrepentant as any dog could be, immediately started covering her in slobbering doggy kisses. She tried to fend it off, but it wasn't working.

“Kaika! Kaika, get back here!”

The dog didn't actually leave, but it did at least back off enough for Miko to sit up properly. A husky with beautiful blue eyes, trailing a bright purple leash.

Wait, _purple_?! Blue sky, green grass, and a riot of colors she was less confident in naming. And a petit woman in brightly patterned hospital scrubs, some sort of nurse maybe? She had a faint halo about her and her hands were over her mouth as she, too, gaped back at her. Miko had seen plenty of beautiful women before, but this time was so completely different. Delicate doll-like features, brown hair with blond highlights pulled back into a neat French braid, and those eyes ... she could get lost in those eyes.

“Is this your dog?” Miko asked, shy in the face of her soulmate, a woman so much more radiant than she could ever hope to be.

“No! I mean, yes, I mean, sort of. Kaika's a patient, I was supposed to be ... well, she took off fine, I guess her leg doesn't hurt anymore,” the woman said with a laugh and a shake of her head. “Sorry, this is ... I'm Ota Reinako, veterinarian, I run the clinic right over there. Oh, but you can call me Rei, all my friends do.”

“Ah, I'm Kusanagi Miko, first year at Tokyo University, in the astrophysics department. It's a pleasure and an honor to meet you, sensei.”

“No, please, we're soulmates,” the other woman said, surprisingly at ease with finding out her true soulmate was a woman at least eight years younger than her. Miko really wished she could have some of that calm about now. A woman. Her primary soulmate was a woman. A career woman, even, with her own clinic and everything. Completely out of her league.

“Miko-san?”

“S-sorry,” she stammered. “I just ... it's a lot to process.”

“Miko-chan?”

Miko looked up, startled to see Genji dithering and hovering just on the other side of her blanket. Their picnic date. Oh gods, how was she going to explain this? To either of them?

“Ah, I'm interrupting. Kaika, here girl,” Rei said, calling the dog back to her. “Sorry about that.”

“It's ... it's all right,” Miko heard herself saying, not sure that was even remotely true. And yet Rei was already walking away. Well maybe that wasn't such a surprise. Who would really want _her_ for a soulmate?

“So, um, what was that?” Genji asked, taking a seat on the edge of the blanket. Well, there was no point in lying about it, even if her soulmate didn't really want her.

“A-apparently my ... my soulmate's a veterinarian,” Miko said, not brave enough to meet Genji's eyes. Sure, they had both known this could happen at any time, but it still felt so ... awkward. Cruel. She really _liked_ Genji.

“Wait, that? Her? She's your soulmate??”

“Full color and everything,” Miko said with a miserable nod. Genji didn't say anything, just sprang to his feet and took off running. She really was the worst. Pulling her knees to her chest, she pressed her face into her arms and gave in to the tears.

~*~*~

It didn't take much for Genji to figure out where to find Miko's soulmate. After all, he had watched her head across the park and the clinic wasn't exactly hiding. Checking his sleeves were pulled down to his wrists, he then stepped into the clinic and flashed the receptionist his best smile.

“Hi, is Ota-sensei available?”

“... you don't even have a dog with you,” the receptionist pointed out with a slight frown.

“I promise, it'll only take a minute or two,” he said, giving her another smile. She turned to the young man who had just joined her behind the desk, still frowning.

“Shingo-san, is sensei available for a consult?”

“I just need a minute, two tops,” Genji repeated, hoping an earnest expression might help. The tech frowned at him, then at the line of exam room doors.

“Two minutes,” the tech said, a warning in his frown. “Room three, don't touch anything.”

Bowing and thanking both the tech and the receptionist, Genji went into the indicated room and closed the door. And prayed to his ancestors that he wasn't making the biggest mistake of his life.

The door opened and for a split second there was nothing. And then the door clicked shut.

“If you came here to tell me to butt out....”

“No! I mean, I always knew I was on borrowed time with Miko-san, that she's not The One, but.... Not that I haven't been taking things seriously! I just ... we've only been dating for a couple of weeks, I didn't want you abandoning her, thinking the wrong things about us. Miko-san's an amazing person and if you're her true soulmate ... I'm not going to get in the way of what the universe intended, sensei.”

“What the ... are you serious? You men are such idiots!”

“But....”

“I was already decided that I wasn't going to just disappear from her life, but you've just proven that was the right decision. Like any of this is even up to you. Idiot. Now, if you don't mind, I have patients.”

Genji flinched as she slammed the door behind her. That ... wasn't how he had expected things to go. He had just wanted her to know he wasn't going to stand in the way. And get her number for Miko. As it stood, he wasn't sure he had accomplished anything except somehow making an enemy of his girlfriend's soulmate. He scrubbed his face with his hand and then hurried out to the street. This was turning into the worst day of his life. The way his dragon was silently laughing at him wasn't helping. Jerk.

_:Not my fault you wouldn't listen sooner. Bakery to the southeast. And grovel like you've never groveled before in your life.:_

Genji turned towards the bakery even as he sent a couple snide thoughts in Teshimine's direction. Definitely the worst day of his life. All he needed now, was....

Even as he was thinking it, something small and round darted under his foot, sending him flailing. At least he was able to catch himself before he landed on his face. His brother never would have forgiven him his clumsiness otherwise. Or ever let him forget it. Yet when he went looking for the culprit, there was nothing. Right, well, clearly thinking was a bad idea today, he needed to stop doing that. It was doing nothing but getting him in trouble.

~*~*~

Miko wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there, feeling sorry for herself, or how long it would have continued, when someone tapped her shoulder with a soft cough. Looking up, shame immediately hit her. To be caught looking so pathetic by the soulmate she still didn't even know....

“So your boyfriend's an idiot,” Rei said, smiling as she sat down next to her.

“He ... he has a good heart,” Miko said defensively, wiping at her tears with her fingers. “He just ... doesn't think sometimes, you know?”

“So pretty typical for guys that age,” Rei said, smiling still. “Still a little surprised he didn't come straight back here, but ... not complaining either. Should we go somewhere else maybe?”

“I ... huh? I mean, don't you have work?” Miko asked, hating the awkwardness she was feeling just then. Her soulmate was going to hate her at this rate.

“Nothing my business partner can't handle. Anyway, what kind of person would I be if I just left my soulmate in distress?” the older woman countered with a slight frown. Then she was getting up and offering Miko a hand up as well.

“Come on, pack all this up and we'll have lunch at my place, get to know each other properly. It's not far from here. Ah, you're not allergic to cats, are you?”

“N-no, I'm not allergic, but ... I don't know....”

“Do you really want to still be _here_ if and when your idiot boyfriend finally comes back?”

Miko couldn't help a short, bitter laugh. No, she definitely didn't want that. A decisive nod and she quickly picked up the untouched picnic. It might not be the best first impression, sharing a meal of combini food, but then again, it wasn't like she had _planned_ for this. It was what it was, she was just going to have to figure out how to work with what the universe had dealt her.

A bus and a short walk later, Miko was being shown into a cozy, homey flat in a modest, quiet neighborhood. She hadn't even started unpacking lunch when a white cat with black splotches started rubbing all over her legs.

“That's Harley ... you know, because her markings look like a harlequin? She's rarely this affectionate with new people, though....”

Miko set down the basket and scooped up her soulmate's cat, amazed to hear her purring already. If this was unusual, then....

“She's gorgeous, but her tail seems kinda ... short?” Miko said, frowning a little when she realized the tail was maybe half the cat's body length.

“Aa, she came into my practice last year, someone had found her with bad burns on her tail, so bad we had to amputate. She wasn't chipped or tagged, my guess is a feral stray that some boys thought would be fun to torment with firecrackers.”

“My god! You mean they...?”

“Tied a bunch to her tail, lit the fuse, then stood back and watched, probably. Unfortunately, there's no way of saying who did it, so they'll get away with it,” Rei said, obviously furious. “She was in so much pain, so scared when the old woman brought her in....”

“... how could anyone be so cruel?” Miko asked, shuddering and hugging the cat closer. “Well, you're in a better place now, aren't you, nekochan?”

“She's pretty much adapted to her disability now, too. I'm constantly catching her on top of my bookcases.”

“Disability?” 

“Cats use their tails to balance, to help them navigate through the world, and to talk to each other,” Rei explained. “Harley and my older cat, Jin, had trouble getting along at first, but they've adapted now. Not sure where Jin is right now, though. Asleep somewhere, I suppose.”

“I'm sure he'll turn up when he's ready,” Miko said with a light smile, turning to set Harley down again so she could take care of lunch. Maybe it was silly, but hearing that one story from her soulmate had really calmed her nerves. She wasn't completely adjusted to the idea that her soulmate was a woman, but she was getting there. It helped to hear her soulmate was someone with patience. They would figure this out, together.

~*~*~

Rei had to admit, the age difference still worried her a bit. Twelve years was a lot, especially at their age, but then again, the universe had to have done this for a reason. And with them being two women, that was going to be its own set of barriers. Not that Rei was about to give up or suggest they just not try. In her mind, that had never been an option, but after seeing what a tool Miko's boyfriend was, well, it was even less of one now.

“I ... this is probably going to sound terrible, but I never expected my soulmate would be another woman,” Miko confessed again as they finished lunch. “I don't know what to think.”

“Well, as long as we're being honest, the truth is I had sort of stopped expecting to find my soulmate at all,” Rei confessed. “I know this is going to be a big adjustment....”

“Not ... not really? I mean, okay, yes, this is a huge change, but at the same time.... I mean, it's probably harder for you. You _have_ a life, and it looks like a good one. And now here I am to mess everything up.”

“... why would you say something like that?” Rei asked, truly dismayed.

“Like what?” Miko asked and the innocent confusion just made things worse.

“That you're going to mess up my life.”

“Because that's what I do? It's a miracle I got into Todai in the first place, to be honest. And I've already had one professor threaten to kick me out of the astrophysics program if I can't stop having lab accidents.”

“That's horrible! Accidents are part of science! To kick two students out of a program....”

“Oh it's not two, it's just me. No one will partner with me anymore.”

“That's worse! Who's your lab supervisor? I have half a mind to go down there and give him what for!”

“N-no! No, you can't ... it's not ... I mean, I can't blame the other students for not wanting to put their grades at risk because of me.”

“Have you actually hurt anyone?”

“Well ... no, no I haven't. We _did_ have to evacuate the lab once, but that was chemistry,” Miko said with a shy smile. “ _That_ TA said the chem labs have something like that happen at least once a semester. But Professor Suzuki doesn't see things that way. But it's ... I mean it's not like I want to actually go into space, if I have to do my undergrad through the math department, that's not necessarily a bad thing. At least in the math department, I can't hurt anyone else.”

Miko really was cute when she was blushing like that. Rei had always been a little bit bisexual, adjusting to a female soulmate, especially one as cute as Miko, really wasn't going to be any trouble at all. Hopefully Miko felt the same way.

~*~*~

“Kusanagi Miko!”

There was something particularly terrifying about a 184cm tall goth in full regalia scowling at you. Seeing Abby in full color somehow made it worse, even though her best friend was dressed mostly in black. Miko blanched, her mind racing as she tried to think what she could have done to so upset her roommate.

“How dare you not take two seconds to tell me you've met your soulmate! Two seconds!”

“What ... how....?”

“Genji-kun came here looking for you. I can't believe you just ditched him. Well, no, I _can_ believe it, especially if you ditched him for a cute doctor, but seriously. I thought we were best friends!”

“We are! But I didn't think he'd come here and I thought you had a big test this afternoon and I didn't want to bother you and I'm so, so sorry!”

“Oh Mi-chan, really. Relax, yeah?” Abby said, her whole demeanor changing in an instant. “I'm not that mad anymore. Anyway, the test was a breeze, so tell me all about this soulmate, yeah? Genji-kun said she was a veterinarian, Ota Reinako-sensei?

“I ... is he really upset?”

“Well, you _did_ kinda ditch him....”

“He started it.”

“... he didn't mention that bit,” Abby said, her scowl returning, though it wasn't actually aimed at Miko. “Right, you better start at the beginning. And tell me _everything_.”

Miko couldn't help a little chuckle at that. Abby was precisely the sort of friend she needed, an enthusiastic listener who knew just the right questions to ask. And by the time Miko was done explaining about Rei, she felt ... better. Abby's unflinching and unquestioning acceptance helped a lot. Even if most people weren't likely to feel the same, having someone like Abby in her corner was enough. Probably.

“All right, well, have you decided it's over with Genji-kun then?”

“Isn't that how it works when you meet your soulmate?”

“I'm no expert, obviously, but the two of you have pretty good chemistry. And I mean he came here looking for you, so I'd say at the least you owe it to him to meet with him and talk things out, yeah? What does Ota-sensei say?”

“We, uh, we didn't actually talk about that,” Miko confessed, realizing how easily she had avoided the topic of her boyfriend with her soulmate for most of the afternoon. Probably Rei's way of giving her space to make up her own mind, but was that really fair? Was this really something she should be deciding all on her own? And yet it would be too awkward to get all three of them together to discuss it ... wouldn't it?

“If you want my advice,” Abby said softly, “I think you should talk to Genji first. If he wants to just back out ... well, then he's an idiot, but fine.”

“And if he doesn't? It doesn't feel fair....”

“If he says he still wants a relationship, then ... then set up something with him and Ota-sensei both so the three of you can discuss things like adults, everyone on the same page.”

“What if ... what if I'm not sure I want to keep seeing him?” she admitted in a tiny voice. 

“I'm not saying you need to talk to him right _now_ ,” Abby said, frowning a little. “Think about it first, sleep on it if you have to. It's your life, Mi-chan. No matter what anyone else says, you're the only one who can decide what's best for you, okay? Don't rush it just because you think you should. I mean we're potentially talking the rest of your life here, so really think about it.”

As much as Miko liked Genji, she was pretty sure neither of them had been expecting anything long term from dating. Longer than a few weeks, sure, but.... And anyway, Rei was The One for her. Was it really fair to either Rei or Genji to try to keep something going with Genji under these circumstances?

“Have you had dinner yet?” Abby asked. “I know it's only Thursday, but Mei-chan and I were thinking dinner out would be nice.”

“Oh, you ... you guys go ahead. I've ... apparently got a lot to think about,” she said with a sigh.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I mean, if I go out, I'll have to tell everyone I met my soulmate and ... I'm not ready for those questions, you know?”

“Fair point,” Abby replied. “I won't tell them anything, promise. Do you want me to bring you back anything?”

“... if you stop for crepes on the way back, then I'll take my usual? But otherwise I'll just ... grab something local, I guess.”

“... I don't have to go, you know. Mei-chan will understand, even if I don't explain.”

“No, no, you should go. She might get suspicious if we both stay back, feel like she needs to come by to check on us. I'll be fine, honest.”

“Well, all right, if you're sure....”

To tell the truth, Miko wasn't sure about anything. But she still put on a brave face and pretended for Abby's sake. She would feel too guilty ruining her friend's night. Abby already did so much for her just putting up with her as a roommate. Anyway, she always did her best thinking when she was alone.

~*~*~

When Miko didn't contact him at all the first night, Genji told himself it wasn't a rejection. After all, this had to be a huge change for her, she deserved his patience and some space. Especially after how badly he had handled things himself. The continuing silence the next day hurt, but he told himself it was understandable. It was Friday, Miko's soulmate probably wanted to spend time with her, who was he to get in the way of that?

By the end of Saturday, however, he was out of excuses to tell himself. His dragon's silence on the topic wasn't exactly encouraging either. Teshimine was always careful not to be too critical of his actions and choices, but Genji could still tell the little dragon wasn't happy with him. And yet what could he do? He liked Miko, but she wasn't his soulmate. Maybe he should just take the hunt and move on. Other fish in the sea and all that.

“You're an idiot.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Call the girl. Or do you need me to do it for you, little brother?” Hanzo grumbled.

“What's the point? She's obviously made her choice. Like I ever stood a chance anyway.”

“And again I say you're an idiot. Acting like this, I wouldn't blame her for dumping your sorry ass. But until you actually talk to her, you can't say for sure, can you? So _call her_. Idiot.”

Hanzo was far too good at making him feel like a hopeless moron, though this time he had something of a point. Slinking off to his bedroom, he fished out his phone and hoped for the best.

_“Genji-kun....”_

“... maybe this was a mistake. You don't sound happy to hear from me, Mi-chan.”

_“Gen-chan, it's not ... I really did enjoy our dates and I like you. A lot. But my soulmate.... I really hope some day you find your soulmate so you can understand.”_

“Mi-chan....”

_“I ... I hope we can still be friends. But ... but if we can't, I ... I understand.”_

Genji couldn't think of anything to say to that, so he didn't, hanging up instead. Stay friends? He really didn't think that was possible. This hurt ... this was exactly why he hadn't allowed himself to date in school, waiting for the one who was his true mate. Advice he should have stuck with, despite how cute the temptation. It was a mistake he wouldn't be making again.

~*~*~

“Miko? Honey?”

Funny how just one little thing could be the one thing too much. Miko's whole face crumbled as she closed her phone and burst into tears.

“I did this all wrong!” she gasped, clutching at Rei's blouse for dear life. “He hates me now! And what if ... what if I've ruined things for Bi-chan?! She really likes that tattoo place!”

“Calm down, Miko-chan,” Rei soothed, rubbing her back. “Deep breaths with me, that's it. I'm sure it's not so terrible as all that.”

“But he ... he didn't even ... even say anything!” she wailed between helpless hiccups. “He just hung up!”

“Because he's nineteen and thinks he knows everything,” Rei said, brushing a quick kiss to her forehead. “Deep breaths, sweetie. It'll be okay, you'll see.”

Miko really did want to believe her soulmate, she just didn't know how.


End file.
